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News of an airplane crash jangled the nerves of travelers in California, many already on edge since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 

More than 255 people were killed Monday when an American Airlines jetliner en route to the Dominican Republic broke apart and crashed after takeoff from New York’s Kennedy Airport. 

Federal investigators do not believe the crash was the work of terrorists, but that did little to calm nerves. 

Daniel Rothmuller, 58, was waiting at Los Angeles International Airport for an American Airlines flight to New York when he heard about the crash. 

“First of all, I was horrified that there was an airplane crash,” he said. “Then I thought, oh my God, it’s another terrorist attack.” 

American Airlines flight attendant Sherri Grossman of Princeton, N.J., was returning home with her husband and three children after a Disneyland trip. She was so shaken after Sept. 11, she took a leave of absence and still hasn’t decided if she will return to work in December. 

She lost friends on Sept. 11 and Monday, she said. “I knew the captain on the plane that went down,” said Grossman, who has been a flight attendant for 23 years. 

In the minutes following the crash, law enforcement and airport officials stepped up security efforts throughout the state. 

An undetermined number of flights from California airports to New York airports were delayed by a ground-stop order issued at 6:30 a.m., said LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles. 

The planes returned to the air nearly four hours later when the group-stop was lifted, she said. 

Travel agents said they braced for calls from nervous travelers, but did not receive many. 

“One of my agents had someone who had to go to New York today or tomorrow cancel,” said Jerry Greenberg, owner of Baldwin Travel Bureau in Los Angeles. “But we’ve had a few bookings, too. People are nervous to begin with and this doesn’t help.” 

At Seaside Travel House Inc. in Long Beach, owner Ada Brown said it was “strangely quiet.” 

“Sometimes when that happens, it’s because people are waiting to see what happens,” she said. 

After hearing more news about the crash, Rothmuller, of Los Angeles, said he felt better, “if you can feel better about that sort of thing.” 

He and others resigned themselves to continue flying despite their concerns. 

“I’m scared to fly because we don’t know what happened and in light of what happened before, it’s scary to go before you have all the facts. But I’m going to go because I have to go for work,” Camille Tragos said at Los Angeles International Airport. 

“If God wants me to make it home, then I’ll make it home, and if he wants to take me, he’s gonna take me,” said Margie Schnitzer, a New Jersey legal secretary whose morning flight to New York was canceled 

Nervousness extended beyond airports. Along San Francisco’s famed Market Street, tourists slowly digested news of the crash but pushed on with their plans. 

“I think you’re always going to have plane accidents, and whether it’s related to Sept. 11 or not, I’m not going to alter my plans. I’m just a bit weary,” said Brian Kilham, who was visiting from Nottingham, England. 

“It doesn’t worry me one bit. These things happen, don’t they? You could die in a car accident,” said Michael Thompson, a tourist from Newcastle, England. He’s been visiting San Francisco for the past couple of days. He planned a trip to Las Vegas later in the week and didn’t plan to change it. 

Ricky Dong of Los Angeles was visiting friends in San Francisco. Fear will not disrupt his immediate or holiday plans, he said. “I’ve made traveling plans over the Thanksgiving holidays. I’m not going to change those because of the accident.” 

Joe Santulli, 36, of Pompton Lake, N.J., said despite the crash and the prior terror attacks, he will continue to fly out of necessity. 

“You stop flying, you stop living your life,” he said. 

Santulli, who was in Los Angeles on business, knows first hand about the death and destruction of terrorist attacks. His sister-in-law, Catherine A. Nardella, was killed in the World Trade Center. 

“It was difficult,” he said of getting over his sister-in-law’s death. “And once we get some closure, this happens.” 

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Associated Press reporters Gary Gentile, Ritu Bhatnagar and Raul Mora contributed to this report.